Nutella and Jam Biscotti Cookies

I love shortbread. There is something so perfect about the buttery crumbly texture and what makes these beautiful biscotti amazing is the delicious almond undertones. I love filling them with jam, but the nutella is definitely my favourite. They can be made into any shape, but I love using hearts and stars.

Today, I had a terrible disaster! I went to upload the many artsy and lovely photos of the biscotti that I worked so hard to bring to you, when I realised that I had accidentally deleted them! Oh no!

I do have this one though, so I’m sorry that there are no in progress photos, but these biscotti are really quite easy and they look the same in real life…

I have been baking a lot lately to take things in to work, making sure I am getting along well with all the other kids… I have two jobs and I love both of them, there are so many nice people. After moving to Victoria, I have changed jobs and I am meeting lots of new people. Making friends can be a little daunting when you are the new girl. My husband has lived here for two years and is pretty good at occupying himself, so I am trying to find common ground with a lot of new people.

It has very quickly become apparent to me that in small towns, social occasions and sport are intertwined. Coming from a larger city, introductions often include “what do you do” and “what are your hobbies”, but I have quickly learned that it is “what sport do you play” here. Not being the really sporty or fit girl, I have to admit that I am not a very good team sports player. I am a horse rider.

(This is my sister’s horse Rem, who is such a sweetheart.)

So I have been starting to get to know a few people through that, and horsey people always have a lot to discuss at all times. My new pony is very cute too, but I don’t have any nice photos of him yet…

Anyway, I find its always easy to make friends with baked goods, so I’m literally buttering them all up. It’s always an easy conversation starter, and its such a wonderful hobby. I am definitely getting better and loving every minute! This is where today’s post is going, I made these biscotti as a treat for my workmates, and they didn’t disappoint!

Hazelnut and Jam Biscotti

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups italian 00 flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 125g butter, softened
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• Extra icing sugar for decoration
• Nutella or jam to spread

Method:

Preheat oven to 175’C. Line three baking sheets with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer until the mixture becomes lighter in colour. Add the egg, salt, vanilla and then gradually add the flour and almond meal. This will start to resemble a crumbly dough, knead into a rough ball, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. On a floured surface, roll out the dough until you reach the desired thickness. My dough was about 0.5cm thick (they suggested 1/8 inch- but I’m a metric girl). Using cookie cutters, cut into whatever shapes suit your fancy. I used stars for work and hearts for my engagement party, they were definitely a hit! Place the cut dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Once the biscuits are starting to brown, they are ready to be taken out of the oven. While they are still hot, sift icing sugar over the top to soften the look. Once the biscotti have cooled, they can be filled with nutella, curd, jam or anything else that spreads.

Enjoy!